


Dance For Me

by I_Am_A_Potato



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: I dont know how to do tags lol, M/M, papyton, random ship suggestion from amino
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-16
Updated: 2020-07-16
Packaged: 2021-03-05 00:56:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,406
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25315669
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/I_Am_A_Potato/pseuds/I_Am_A_Potato
Summary: Papyrus goes on a hunt for his birthday.
Relationships: Mettaton/Papyrus (Undertale)
Comments: 9
Kudos: 16





	Dance For Me

It was a chilly day in Snowdin like it usually was, the artificial wind blowing around the magic snow. Children played around with snowball fights or by making snowmonsters. The shopkeep and her cousin watched the little bunny monsters play with the locals amongst the slow hustle of the town. Nice and lovely very early in the morning.

Papyrus awoke early as usual this morning and sprung out of bed, excited for the day's events. He hurried to his closet and dressed himself in his battle body. He slipped on his gloves and boots hurriedly before wrapping his scarf around his neck. He can't wait to wake his brother for the activities planned.

He rushed out of his room and down the hall, barreling towards his elder brother's door like an excited child on Gyftmas Day. He knocked hard and bounced in his place. Today was special to him and he wanted to five into it as soon as possible.

"Sans! Sans, wake up you lazybones! We have many things to do today! Get out of bed!" Papyrus yelled this before opening the door, only to see that his brother wasn't in the room. The only noise was from the mysterious trash tornado that somehow manages to persist day after day.

He searched the room in case Sans was hiding somewhere and waiting to jump out at Papyrus. The taller skeleton was often pranked by his brother for seemingly no reason, so being cautious of this silence seemed second nature. Not in the closet, not behind the door, not in his laundry pile… but there was a note on his mattress.

  
  


_ "had some errands. sorry bro. i'll make it up to you later." - sans _

  
  


"Oh, well… I guess this is okay? Maybe my brother went out to get a gift for me?" Papyrus frowned a little at the thought of his brother forgetting why today was important. He smacked his cheeks and shook his head. "No, Sans would never forget! Keep it together!"

He cleaned up a little in Sans' room before leaving the house, that organized chaos of his brother's room making him feel a little miffed. He noticed that many people weren't out and about and found that odd. Normally more people are roaming around during this time in the morning. What was happening?

Grillby's was open, so Papyrus decided to ask the fire elemental about the peculiar Snowdin situation. Maybe he even knew where Sans ran off to? What Grillby served disgusted Papyrus a bit and he was mad to see Sans at the bar with a plate of greasy food almost every day, but he didn't judge the fire monster for it. People need to make a living somehow, and providing a product people love isn't too bad by his standards.

The Royal-Guardsman-in-training stepped into the warm little place and cringed at the smell of grease and oils that permeated every visible service that his eye sockets fell upon. He soon recovered his normal attitude when he saw the flaming bartender waving him over to the bar. Papyrus sat himself down on one of the stools while Grillby left and returned with a cup of milk.

"Happy birthday, Papyrus. Enjoying your morning so far this morning?" Grillby's flames crackled as he spoke, the flames on his face parting a little to form a small smile. "If you're here for your brother, he left about an hour ago."

Papyrus nodded and drank from his glass. "Thank you for the drink. I, um, do not know how to feel about this morning. Confused maybe? Everyone isn't outside like they normally are and my brother woke up earlier than I did to 'run errands'."

"He's planning something for you from what he told me. I would say more, but he swore me to secrecy." His little laugh produced a faint smoke. "All the information he would allow me was that you needed to head into Waterfall where he placed more instructions."

"Thank you for telling me." He smiled a little and put some money on the bar to pay for his beverage. Unlike his brother, he always pays for his drinks. "By the way, do you know why it's so… not active outside? No one seems to be out, or even here in general." 

"I'm afraid I can't tell you. I promised your brother that I wouldn't say a word." He just smiled again. "I hope your birthday goes well."

Papyrus bid him goodbye and started his venture into Waterfall. He took great pleasure in completing the bridge seed puzzles as he walked through each room with an eye open for any indication of a note from his brother. What was Sans doing? Distracting him? Did he not want him around while he did his thing?

He walked through each and every room, stopping to flex with Aaron and compliment Shyren's songs. He made it into the darkening lantern room and went towards the farthest corner, soon going into Temmie Village. He noticed no one here too and went into the shop. Only that Temmie was there.

"h0i, I'm temMie! welcom to tEm sh0p, papyrUs!" She greeted him and put a plate of tem flakes on the 'counter' (the edge of her box). "many thins hapen today, yAya. tem spent salAry on pesent f0r yoU, tem flakEs!!"

"Why, um… why thank you miss Temmie. That's a wonderful present." He picked up the plate and smiled awkwardly. "Miss Temmie, do you know why no one is here? No one was in Snowdin too, and Grillby wouldn't tell me anything."

"tems went on busnes trip, yAya. gonna make mAny muns for co0leg. want degre." Temmie nodded and looked up at Papyrus. "temMie wish she could tells u mor, but…  _ hrrngg _ … saNds says he give us c0oleg muns if temmie be silent. shhh…"

"Oh, well…" Has Sans made an effort to talk to anyone Papyrus would ask about him? He's only becoming more and more confused at this point. "Do you have a note from my brother then? Grillby said a note was somewhere in Waterfall."

"o00Oo, yayA! tem haz n0te frum sanDs!" She dipped down into her box and held the piece of paper up in the air with both paws. "sands doin many tHins today, papYrus! uwaaa!!"

"Thank you again, miss Temmie. I… uh, I hope you get enough money for college." He took his wallet out of his boot to give her a few pieces of gold, then got the note from her. "Here. This isn't much, I know, but maybe this could help? I have to go now. Have a good day."

As he walked out of the Tem Shop, Temmie stared down at the pieces of gold in her paws and began to vibrate intensely while she teared up. It's the first time anyone freely helped her out instead of her having to try and make people buy her products.

=====

_ "found my note, huh? guess the only spot left to look was tem village. still busy with my errands, bro. sorry. i'll be done soon. could ya go talk to gerson for a bit? he has a note too, but just go hang with him for a bit so i can finish up my business. please bro? it'll be worth it." - sans _

"Geez, Sans. What are you even doing out there? I don't like it when you keep secrets from me…" Papyrus huffed and navigated his way through the darkening lantern room again. "I really hope this is worth it. I'd hate to know my brother was just setting up an elaborate prank…"

After passing through several different rooms and speaking with the locals of Waterfall as he passed by, Papyrus stopped by a wall to take a break from his long walk. He must have been walking around for hours now without rest and was a little tired. 

The relaxing sound of the distant water and the little drips around him calmed his mind and thoughts. Excessive worrying won't do him any good. He has to put faith in his brother. Sans would never ditch him,  _ especially _ on his birthday. 

He waited a couple more minutes before standing up from the cold ground. He had to visit Gerson after all. He shouldn't keep him waiting for too long. Papyrus dusted himself off and continued on his walk. 

Papyrus saw the entrance to Gerson's little shop and proceeded inside. The old tortoise monster smiled warmly and waved to him, standing up and moving from his counter to go towards the tall boss monster.

"Well if it ain't Papyrus! Mighty happy to see ya, sonny. How have you been today? It's yer birthday today, innit?" He maneuvered around crate of Crab Apples and Sea Tea he had in the room, rubbing his chin and beard with one hand. "Shouldn't you be at home with yer brother playing them...console games or whatever you youngins do?"

"I'm fine, just… confused, that's all. Today has been quite weird…" Papyrus sat down on a closed crate and sighed. "I went to Grillby's to ask where Sans was and why no one in Snowdin was out. Then I went to the Temmie Village to ask the shopkeeper where my brother was  _ and _ why the other Temmies weren't there. Now I'm here with you. Do you know what's going on?"

"Don't know what to tell ya, laddie. I don't know what's going on either." Gerson shrugged and picked up a cup of tea from a half open crate. "Here, have some Sea Tea. The box says it's supposed to smell like an ocean, a large body of saltwater on the Surface. Supposed to make you feel relaxed I think. It's on the house today, y'hear?"

Papyrus gladly accepted his drink and drank a good deal of the tea in one go. He hasn't realized how hungry or thirsty he was, so after his sip of his salty drink, he ate from his little plate of temmie flakes. It kind of tasted like overly sugary cereal, but paper thin and crunchier. He allowed himself this treat because he had been burning calories for several hours.

"Do you have a note? My brother has been leaving notes for me with people I'd go talk to I think. I got one from Grillby and miss Temmie." He held out two folded pieces of paper to Gerson and ate more of his snack. He still thought it was nice of Temmie to try her best to buy him something nice for his birthday.

"Hmm… I reckon I might have one of these. Let me go check." Gerson put the notes in his pocket before reaching over the counter. He rummaged around for a bit before returning to the Royal-Guardsman-in-training with it. "This be what you were lookin' for? Yer brother gave it to me earlier and told me something about it, but I just forgot about it and put it in a drawer."

"Ah, yes it is. Thank you Gerson." Papyrus smiled a little and accepted the note from the older monster. "What do you think he's doing by setting up these notes? What do you think his motive is?"

"Hm… by my guess, it's a distraction, and the others were in on it." He gave Papyrus the other notes and sat down on a crate opposite of the other monster. "I've been here on this planet a long time I'd say. I've seen all them tricks people do. I bet yer brother is setting up something big and needed this time to plan it out. He probably had to collect a lot of people for his idea. I've seen you and yer brother around these parts since you were a wee babybones. Heard a lot about you both. I think I know enough to guess what yer brother is plannin'. Somethin' big."

"That does seem to make a lot of sense, now that I think about it. No one in Snowdin, no one in the Temmie Village, hardly anyone roaming around here in Waterfall… I guess I was just distracted by how confusing everything was." Papyrus hummed and finished his drink, carefully setting the cup and saucer down beside him. "Time to read the next note now…"

_ "mm, i think i'm about done up here. thanks for taking a break with gerson. i bet he liked having a visitor, 'specially a cool one like you. head on to alphys' lab now, m'kay papy? you have a surprise there waiting for you." - sans _

Papyrus stared at the piece of paper as he finished up his snack gift from the shopkeeper Temmie. So Sans  _ was _ preparing a gift. It must've been a really special one if he went all the way to the Royal Scientist to prepare it. He feels a little dumb now for thinking his brother was planning something mean.

"You look like you read something mighty exciting, so why don't you head out to go do what that there paper said? You look excited, wa ha ha!" Gerson chuckled and patted the younger monster on the back before trotting back over to his counter.

He waved bye to him as he left. Papyrus decided on taking a shorter route to Hotland so he could get to his surprise sooner and soon found himself by the Riverperson's dock. He goes to speak to them to ask for passage, but they just move and tap the spot behind them with their cloak.

Papyrus found this odd and just accepted the help, stepping onto the ferry before it lifted up to take off. There was a long moment of silence between them that started to make him feel uncomfortable. The Riverperson never really talked much, and spoke only in riddles when they did. The silence was expected, but wasn't wanted.

"Tra la la. Pop pop pop... Today is a great day for a party, wouldn't you say?" The Riverperson spoke with his sing song voice. "Pink and blue, blue and pink. Pop pop pop… Hush now. Can't spoil the surprise. Tra la laaa~"

"What do you mean by that? Do you know something about what Sans is doing?" Papyrus asked the Riverperson. Their riddles were always so confusing.

"Brother sister mother father. You have one, but not the other three. One is doing things, and things are great. Tra la laaa~"

"So you're saying that Sans is planning something big? That's what everyone else said too. Do you know  _ what _ he's doing though?"

"Pop pop pop… today's a great day for a party, wouldn't you say?" They hummed a little while they continued on merrily. "Things will happen today, today in the box of warm. Tra la laaa~"

"The Lab in Hotland? Something is happening in the Lab? That's what Sans said in his last note."

"Tra la la. Beep boop beep. It blinks and roams, today for you in the box of warm." They start to go quiet again. "Happy day of the birth to you, child of bones. Tra la la…"

=====

Papyrus bid the Riverperson farewell when they made it to Hotland and went off on his way. He wanted to know what all of this was about. Sans put a lot of effort into everything… but what was it that he put effort into? Griilby, Temmie, Gerson, the Riverperson… they all said Sans has planned something big. Papyrus still doesn't understand.

He stood in front of the door to the Lab and hesitated. Why does he feel so nervous? He shouldn't, right? Why does he show hesitation? Nothing frightening or horrible is going to happen here. It's just his brother and a birthday surprise.

As soon as he opened the door, whatever relaxed feeling he was holding onto dissipated when he saw the pitch black room. It looked like no one was there and it was dead silent. Papyrus summoned a bone and held onto it as he stepped further inside.

The lights were flicked on and everyone jumped out from various assorted hiding spots in the room, yelling "surprise!". Balloons were hung everywhere and sticker decals adorned the walls. Everyone from Snowdin and Waterfall was here, as well as many Hotland residents too.

Papyrus started to tear up and let the bone in his grasp dissipate. He rubbed at his eyes and sniffled, smiling widely at everyone. "A-A surprise party? For me?"

"You deserve it, punk." Undyne walked up to him and patted him roughly on the shoulder, baring a wide sharp-toothed grin. "You work the hardest to make everyone happy every single day, so we all decided to throw you the most badass party ever!"

"It was your brother's idea. He woke up several hours earlier than usual and went around to everyone." Grillby spoke up from where he was, and it happened to be the drinks table. "Sans told everyone the plan and we all started heading to the Lab to prepare. He had you visit a few people so everyone had enough time to come hide in here."

"mm… what can i say? i love my bro." Sans stepped out from the crowd, where he was hidden because of his short height. "you're always helping me and everyone else, so i did somethin' cool for the world's coolest skeleton."

"You all really didn't have to do this for me…" Papyrus felt a little embarrassed from all the attention and warm sentiment.

"papYruS alwAys talks to teM and helpS her witH co0leg muns, even whEn she d0esn't ask. papyrUs swEet and kiNd, yayA!" The shopkeeper Temmie peeked her head out from her croud of Tems. "temS and temMie wantEd t0 help tOo, uwAaa!!"

"Y-Yeah! You're always such a h-help with everyone here and you e-even try to help me too. You're a great monster, P-Papyrus, and a great friend. We want to show you our g-gratitude." Alphys sheepishly added after Temmie concluded her sentence.

"Go and enjoy yourself, sweetheart. It's your party after all." Muffet added before setting off a party popper.

=====

Papyrus danced around with everyone and sang with them too. He woke his brother up and told him several times not to eat so much cake on many different instances. He watched Grillby do tricks with fire and alcohol and watched a little performance by Muffet and her giant walking cupcake.

The Temmies vibrated quietly in a corner, Gerson told everyone stories from his time on the Surface, miscellaneous monsters chatted with Papyrus before leaving him alone so others could speak with him… Undyne gave everyone fighting lessons alongside Papyrus, Alphys played some old tapes on a projector (all of which was found in the dump), even the Riverperson showed up to exist around everyone (though they were quiet and only spoke when spoken to, and even then it was still in riddles).

Papyrus did seem to notice no gifts anywhere in sight. He isn't disappointed or upset, no. He just finds it weird since most birthday parties include a mound of presents for the birthday person. He didn't want to seem rude for asking, but he thinks it will keep gnawing at him until he finally questions it aloud.

"Hey, um, guys?" He looked around to make sure he had everyone's attention before continuing. "This has been the best day of my life, don't get me wrong! I've loved every minute of this party. You all are so wonderful and kind and considerate… Please don't take this the wrong way, but… where are the gifts? I-I'm not trying to be ungrateful, I swear! It's just… weird seeing a birthday party without presents?"

Many monsters snickered and hid their smiles like they knew something he didn't. Sans walked towards a closed door to a room within the main section of the lab and put his hand on the doorknob. "i told you that i had something big planned. we all did. spent a lot of time getting your special present. we're certain you'll love it."

Before Papyrus could question him or even speak, Sans opened the door and an extremely familiar figure stepped out of the room with a hand on their hip. Black slightly curled hair, a blue and dark purple sweater, red sweatpants, and deep purple heeled boots. The eyes, the movements, that voice…

"M-Mettaton?" The skeleton monster backed up a little out of surprise. His face flushed orange as well. "How are you- Why are you here at my party?"

"Oh darling, I couldn't keep my dearest fan waiting forever…" The robot moved towards Papyrus and put an arm around his waist, smiling a little at him. "Aren't you glad to see me, sweetheart?"

"W-Well, I- um… I am, but... I would not have e-expected someone as famous as you to make time for a monster like me. You must have been v-very busy…" He covers his face a little with one of his hands and lets his eyes dart around the room. There's no attention on him right now, so he's grateful for that.

"I wouldn't have missed it for the world. You know, I have been watching your videos and posts on UnderNet for a while now…" Mettaton rubbed his other hand down Papyrus' jawbone slowly. "It's cute watching you talk so excitedly about things that spark your interest. Makes my day when I see your bright smile. All I needed was an excuse to come down here, and your brother provided that. He's told me you're my biggest fan…"

"I… I would say that is about right. I like watching your concerts and shows on television when I can't get a hold of a ticket." The boss monster still felt a little shy around his idol, especially now that he was this close. It felt like Mettaton was flirting with him. His dating guide didn't really go over this kind of stuff that much. He took a few calming breaths and smiled a little more. "I wanted to be as cool and as popular as you once. You gave everyone hope down here and I wanted to do that too…"

"Now aren't you a peach." The robot chuckled a little and moved away to give Papyrus some space, holding his hand in his own. "You really are as sweet as everyone says. You're going to give me cavities at this rate, doll."

"You're awfully nice. I hear many negative things about you often, like you put on an act for everyone but you're awful behind closed curtains. People say these things under their breaths when I… when I try to talk to them about you. Online too." Papyrus felt his face darken more. "I… don't think that's true. I can feel it in your magic. You're a good natured monster that just wants everyone to be happy, like me."

Mettaton just smiles in response and looked away a little. He didn't want to say anything about himself in response. His ego was a bit blown up, but that was all in the past. He knew he was selfish back then and made an effort to change. He didn't care about much during those years. He cared only about his ratings and his public image. Remembering how he treated employees makes him feel horrible. He didn't want to talk about those times ever again.

He holds onto Papyrus' hand and started walking, the skeleton following after him. Papyrus doesn't know what Mettaton was planning but does not question it. It is probably another surprise for him or something like that. He's just happy his most favorite person in the world (behind Sans obviously) was here with him on his birthday.

They were now in an open lot outside in Hotland with no one else in sight. It was just the two of them alone here. Mettaton let go of Papyrus' hand and walked to the middle of the lot, spinning a little along the way. Papyrus watched Mettaton's careful movements and how he swayed, captivated by his gracefulness.

"Would you like to see a dance I'm working on for an upcoming performance? You'll be the first to know anything about this. Not even my producers know my plans…" Mettaton had his hands on his hips when he asked his one man audience, smirking upon seeing the birthday fellow's interested gaze.

"W-Well, um- I don't think it is fair for me to see something that wonderful before it's ready. Y-You should premiere it when it's ready, Mettaton." He twiddle his thumbs and averted his gaze away from his idol.

"Aw, such a shame. I wanted to see your cute smile more…" Mettaton fake huffed a little and crossed his arms, turning away and shifting his weight to the side. "It's your birthday, am I wrong? I'm just trying to show you something special."

"Well, I… I guess it'd be okay…" Papyrus looked back at Mettaton. "Just today, right? That sounds good…"

"Too kind, really." Mettaton chuckled again and turned back to face Papyrus. "Watch me closely, starlight."

Papyrus didn't need to be told twice. He watched as Mettaton began his dancing, one foot going in front of the other as he moved around. It was like he glided across the ground as he twirled and swayed. Arms moving around and hands making motions at Papyrus… The skeleton didn't want to tear his eyes away from this wonderful sight.

Mettaton slowed his movements and motioned for Papyrus to join him. The skeleton was reluctant at first, but soon walked up to him and moved alongside him. The robot kept his motions slow and steady so Papyrus could learn them. He returned to his normal rhythm minutes later with Papyrus mating the same speed.

Papyrus looks so happy, like this is something he has always wanted. He's always wished for the day that he could spend time alone with Mettaton. Now that the day has come (and it's even on his birthday!), he's ecstatic. A dream come true. His SOUL pulsated and flipped happily in his ribcage, the expression on his face matching it.

At one point, the two were dancing so closely that they tripped over each other's feet. The two fell face first on the ground and lied there in silence, laughing moments later at what they did. 

"Do you think we could, um… do this again sometime? Hanging out with you like this was really fun." Papyrus looked over at Mettaton and smiled, the robot smiling in return.

"Sounds lovely, darling."


End file.
